


Discovering Density

by Soak



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Beaches, Day At The Beach, F/M, Fluff, I miss my golden deer babies T.T, Minor Lysithea von Ordelia/Claude von Riegan, My Unit | Byleth Is Doing Their Best, Post-Golden Deer Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Pranks and Practical Jokes, Swimming, rated t for Hilda's language, seriously they're all so precious did I really have to make this about petrashe?, yes i did
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:28:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24171310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soak/pseuds/Soak
Summary: Fódlan has been united for over a month now--the heroic companions under Claude von Riegan have been taking up residence in Derdriu while the mayhem of bringing the whole continent together continues. But things are starting to settle, finally, and their cherished professor devises a day of well-earned, overdue rest for them all. So when life finally slows down, Ashe discovers he's been grossly failing to notice some things.Luckily, Claude and his other found brothers and sisters let him know.--or--The gang has to break the news to a sweet but dense boy.
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Petra Macneary
Comments: 10
Kudos: 33





	Discovering Density

**Author's Note:**

> I really didn't need to write the first 3,000 words, but I miss these goobers so much! So, just... ignore my self-indulgent writing. 
> 
> This also didn't really need the ClaudexLysithea, but *I* did. Oops.
> 
> (I apologize to anyone who speaks Irish, I tried to toe close to the sounds/structure in a respectful manner, but it's probably a mess the one time I used it)

The heat from the fire pit wasn't really helping Ashe. Neither was the sand that had managed to chafe where his knees touched his shorts, nor the coming-and-going wafts of fish, probably coming from somewhere further up the shoreline. Nevertheless, he kept at his duties, turning the lines of asparagus and filets along the grill plate. The Professor had produced them from seemingly thin air--she must've gotten up early, he decided.

Even now, not even a month after the Alliance's final victory, that woman settled right back into providing for her former students. Within the past couple weeks, suddenly, all their obligations had started to postpone, all on the same date. Nervous lords and councilors, generals and merchants--their qualms were satisfied and audiences withdrawn. Even Count Gloucester decided he could arrive in Derdriu later rather than sooner.

Ashe had some speculations about that.

Therefore it wasn't a total surprise when Byleth asked everyone for a day of their time, to delay any plans of leaving the Alliance capital before then. As scattered as they might've been across the city, working on their new nation, she found them all the same, one by one; with a sincere hope that held the weight of an order. A soft one, that threatened disappointment rather than anything else. 

"I can take over for a while. You look like you could use a dip in the water."

Ashe looked over to find the Professor beside him, her expression calm and genuine, just the edges of her lips turned into a smile. Those were rare. 

What wasn't uncommon was him trying to piece together... _whatever_ it was she was wearing. Even for a relaxing day along the shore, Byleth's outfit was typically, woefully complicated. Garish, even. A long navy and gold dress (sort of) with ropes criss-crossing over a low-cut chest. For some reason there were long white and pink streamers everywhere--braided into her hair and tied around her wrists, dangling into the sand. Then there was also this gold plate hanging from her chest-ropes (the best term he could come up with), and was that a... crown?

Ashe gave up trying to understand. Maybe he'd ask Dorothea and she could explain it better. He knew he wasn't very good with that kind of stuff.

"Me? Oh no, I'm happy to be cooking lunch." He forced a smile. "You know me."

"Correct, I do." She took the tongs from his hands, her grip absurdly strong. Stronger than Hilda, even, who was actually built like a woman with some serious muscle. "Enjoy yourself, Ashe. I'll make sure these get done properly."

He deflated slightly, but tried to keep a cheery expression. "All right. Thank you, Professor."

Byleth's grin grew at that, and she nodded. Her ridiculous hair-streamers nearly dipped into the fire pit and caught flame.

His anxiety subsided as he chuckled and walked away. She really was impossible, wasn't she? But in a good way--a jumble of contradictions that perhaps built up so much, they negated themselves all out, leaving the caring, hard-working person that had convinced him to switch houses so many years ago.

Ashe scanned the view in front of him--the secluded cove outside Derdriu that the Professor had procured for the day. It was his first time seeing the ocean without the city's splendor getting in the way, which helped him understand better why some people loved it so much. Light, azure blue stretched out into the horizon, bobbing up and down as waves came rolling into the sand. A few boulders rose stoically out of the sea. The tickle of salt in his nose had grown comforting, somehow. 

"Hey flyboy, come give me a hand, will ya?"

He turned to Claude, who was in just the same style of shorts as he, crouched beside a picnic basket. He had lugged it all the way from Derdriu with him, and waved off any questions about its contents to whoever asked. 

"Oh, sure." Ashe tried to hide his suspicion as he walked over. "What can I help you with?"

He flashed him one of those easy grins. "Just looking for some company while I work. Mind taking a seat?"

"All right." It was not all right. Sandy beaches was something very new for a child of the Kingdom. He went to sit down anyway.

"You know, that spot looks uncomfortable," Claude pointed out quickly. "Right... there--" he pointed slightly over to his left "--looks much better. Trust me."

Ashe narrowed his eyes, looking to the spot. There was absolutely nothing different to him between the patches of sand. The Alliance leader had gotten him with a prank a few weeks ago though, so he ventured a guess that, whatever this was, it wasn't for him. The sand dug into his ankles as he sat down.

"Nice, isn't it?" Claude opened the basket fully, pulling out a pre-set tray of sweets and snacks, arranged into a low pyramid.

Theories running wild, Ashe looked behind him, curious if he was blocking this view from anybody. Surprise, surprise--he was. Dorothea and Hilda were lying on thin linen blankets, chatting idly. Further along, Ignatz and Lysithea were in the midst of building something impressive with sand, the warlock forging large shapes with the help of her magic as the other filled in the flourishes and small details. Marianne was working on the moat, with amenities for hermit crabs. In the distance, so as to not accidentally destroy anything, Leonie and Raphael were booting a football at each other. And Petra, but he willed his eyes away as soon as they found her, trying to ignore the added heat he felt on his neck.

The only person that might be able to see was Lorenz, but he was lounging under a large umbrella, nose-deep in a book. He had complained the whole way here that the sun ruined his noble complexion, to varying levels of annoyance or amusement. The Professor could also see, he supposed, but she seemed busy tending to the fire and occasionally looking out over everybody. Her smile persisted.

"You can keep a secret, right?" Claude asked coolly. "See, these are special, I stayed up all night making them."

Claude didn't bake. Or cook, for that matter. Ashe figured the Almyran knew his lie was meant to be found. He turned back anyway and pretended to study them. "Wow, they look great."

"They don't taste bad, either." Claude plucked one off and handed it over. He rose, the tray balanced under one hand. "Come on, I'm sure the others are starving."

The nerves in his gut came welling back as Ashe followed. He absentmindedly took a bite of the tart-- _Goddess_. Claude definitely did not make these. He finished it quicker than he'd admit.

"Fantastic day, isn't it?" Claude said as he sided up near where Hilda and Dorothea were sunbathing, crouching down with his tray. "Need something to hold you over?"

They opened their eyes, peering up at him, and propped themselves up on their elbows. They wore much higher shorts than the guys did, with cropped and deep-cut tops that let them soak up as much of the sun as they could. 

"Gee, thanks!" Hilda grabbed two. Ever so deftly, she examined them in what could also pass as excited clumsiness. A couple tentative presses here, and a sniff there. Satisfied, she took a huge bite, and her eyes widened. "Holy shit! Where'd you get these?" She reached for another. 

"Come on, Hilda, you know I don't give up my secrets that easily." He flashed a grin and turned it towards Dorothea. "And for you?"

Dorothea, a late convert and lacking the detective skills that the others had been honing for years, watched as her counterpart tore into another. She shrugged. "Sure, why not? I'll have one as well."

Ashe watched Claude take one from the tray, certain his hands were deliberately choosing where the pyramid wasn't touched. Like Hilda, everything could easily be passed off as something innocuous, his movements too natural to be anything other than normal. He reached over and handed her the tart.

She took a nibble before Ashe could do anything. Her face lit up. "That _is_ good. Thanks, dear."

He refused to believe that was the end of it. Something had to be wrong. Maybe she just started eating at the wrong end? The four of them chatted for a moment as Dorothea finished her snack, and nothing happened. No explosion of chaos, no slow realization on anyone's part.

Ashe's thoughts clawed at him as they walked on. Was Claude really being just a generous soul? Ashe found that hard to believe, but at the same time, he had been sure the Almyran was pulling something, to no avail. So... maybe? It was terribly suspicious, but then again, pranking everyone into _thinking_ there'd be a prank might be his intention.

"Would you or your friends care for anything sweet?"

Marianne looked up at the two of them, beside a small pool that had a few hermit crabs scuttling along the bottom. She smiled and rose to her feet. "Oh, sure." As she reached out to take a couple, Ashe watched Claude shift the tray, passing it off as a slight stumble on the uneven sand.

It couldn't be her. Ashe had only heard about the few times Claude tried anything on Marianne, mostly from Hilda who had to spend the next week cheering her up. Clumsy little surprises were the only tricks he'd play on her; silly, big bows in Dorte's mane and the like. So what was he up to?

Marianne grinned like the rest of them as she tried one. "Thanks! These are really good--I think Sunny and Pebbles will like them too." She crumbled the corner of a tart in her fingers and dropped it into the pool.

"Of course they will. They have such a great caretaker, after all." Claude earned some rosy cheeks and mumbling with that one. "By the way, I'm sure Hilda-"

A tightly-wrapped leather ball came screaming down near them, kicking sand up into their legs. Marianne yelped and Claude whisked his tray out of the way. As the moment settled, his lips worked into a frown. "Hold onto these, will ya Ashe?" He handed his charge over without waiting for an answer. "Maybe see if Ignatz would like any? I'm gonna go have a quick chat with Raph." He picked the ball out of the sand and began jogging away.

"Uh- well... Oh, he's gone." Ashe looked around, holding this wooden tray in his hands. Marianne gave him a demure shrug, her mood dampened by the small fright. He sighed. "Guess I'm off, then. I hope Sunny and Pebbles enjoy their treat!"

Marianne brightened at that, giving him a little grin. She'd been doing that more, lately.

"Hey, Ashe!" Lysithea's squeaky voice cut through the roar of the waves. "Are those for everyone?"

Typical, Ashe thought as he smiled. He walked up to the two builders, who were now definitely recreating Garreg Mach in the sand. Their work was surprisingly good--okay, not that surprising. Ignatz had fewer qualms over being creative these days, and was detailing the walls and parapets with gusto. Lysithea finished shaping a turret together and bounded over.

"They are." Ashe peered at the tray closely. Nothing seemed wrong to him, other than the pyramid of tarts slowly winding down. "I assume you'd like some?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, but please don't talk to me like that. It's not as fun to eat sweets when it feels like people are judging you."

Ashe tensed and shook his head emphatically. "Oh, no no! I'm not judging at all! In- in fact, it's nice to see everyone enjoying them."

"Maybe." Her pout didn't last long as she returned to leering the tarts. "So... how many can I have?" she asked, already starting to collect a couple.

"Well, I don't know, just leave some for the others?" He watched her eye a particularly large treat, with extra powdered sugar. It looked _too_ tasty. A chill went up his back. "Claude made them, though-"

"Claude?" Lysithea's eyes widened just as her hand lifted the tart.

He felt something shift in the wooden base of the tray. Time slowed down. Lysithea's nervous gaze just met his as the pyramid of treats erupted, a gigantic spider leaping out from within.

Lysithea screamed in horror, taking a few wild steps backwards before tripping and falling into the sand turret she'd just finished. The tarts she'd held came raining down around her. Ashe, just now breaking from his shock, yelped and threw the tray to the ground.

The spider bounced and wiggled harmlessly, its paper form supported by springs and wires.

The pint-sized warlock figured this out as soon as he did. From her sandy throne, her face began twisting in rage, her eyes scanning the shore. "Oooh, when I find him, I'm going to tear- You!" she bellowed, pointing just over Ash's shoulder. "Claude! I'm going to kill you!"

Ashe whirled around, finding his shit-eating grin not a dozen paces away, perhaps trying to slink off.

A burst of levitation brought Lysithea onto her feet. Despite her much smaller size, she kept pace as she charged head-long after him, flinging magically-propelled lumps of sand.

"You can certainly try, little lady!" Claude dipped and dodged, graceful as ever. The smile never left his lips.

" _Little_!?" Lysithea's voice hit a new octave. "Why- you- ugh!" she shrieked, her hands making newer, angrier patterns. The sand-balls ended, and in their place she summoned whole columns of it to shoot upward like geysers.

This time, his smile did die. Ashe had to bite back a laugh as he watched him scramble for his life, rolling and falling as Lysithea pushed him back into the sea. One attack had swept his legs out from under him, dunking him under the surface. He retreated up to his chest in the water by the time her assault stopped, the waves tickling her ankles.

"Can't get me now--" a labored breath "--can you?" Claude grinned again, wiping the wet hair out of his face. "What? Afraid of taking a little swim with me?"

Ashe could only see her from behind, but he noticed her back stiffen. Then, she swiped one hand in front of her; the sea responded by slamming him with a wall of water, driving the breath out of him and sending him back under.

Her face was beet red as she passed Ashe again, wordless and fuming. She sat turned away from everybody, resuming her work. He looked around, finding most of the stares and giggling from the others to be rather infectious. Even the Professor had a goofy grin on her face.

Ashe met Claude where the waves abated, holding the now-deployed tray. His face brightened as he came out of the water, winded and soaked. "Hey, thanks for grabbing that for me, flyboy. I was afraid our unfortunate victim would've destroyed it by now." He blew some water off the tip of his nose.

"I think she's somehow a little too angry for that." Ashe chuckled.

"That was pretty impressive, Claude." Leonie's voice came from along the shore, as she, Raphael, and Petra approached them. "I think you're finally getting better at this."

"Yeah!" Raphael's face was beaming, huge and boisterous. As well as any and every muscle on his body, honestly. "How'd you know Ashe would give it to her? That was pretty smart!"

Something ominous clicked into place in his brain, and Ashe put his face into his hands.

"Let's just call it intuition, and leave it at that." Claude gave them a cool shrug. "I can't let you in on all my secrets. Just had to make sure the timing was right--so the stray football of yours really saved me. I owe you one, big guy."

"Your plan had much boldness, Claude."

Ashe found his eyes drawn to Petra too quickly for their own good. He had been trying not to look, not to notice, anything to avoid those funny feelings in his chest. But he couldn't help it, and he didn't really know--okay, he did. She was, well... She was just too damn pretty. _There_ , he thought it out loud, in his own brain. Brigid swimwear was really putting his mind through the ringer; between the top with tiny beaded tassels, cutting a fitted triangle down from her neck, and a light, tied linen skirt over her boardshorts that still showed more of hers thighs than he'd seen before-

Enough of that. He shook himself, looking out into the waves, remembering to breathe. He could do this. He could get through the day and brush aside those obnoxious thoughts, going back to the formal, knightly relationship he had promised to her.

"Lysithea is not someone I would be playing jokes on." Petra's face held a faint bit of fear in it. "She is like a type of viper from Brigid. They can be fitting in your hand but their bite kills swiftly, if they are angered. I am not thinking she will be forgetting this, as it was very embarrassing."

Claude's shoulders slumped, and he nodded pensively.

"Hey Claude!" Raphael busted in. "Can I call in my favor now? I wanna have a chicken fight but we need a fourth!"

The Alliance leader tried to bring his smile back to life, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Sure thing, Raph. But hey, maybe sub in Ashe for me at the start, I gotta finish something first." He grabbed the tray and started back up the beach.

"Me? But I don't-"

Claude twirled on a foot, shooting him a wink as he walked backwards. "You got this, flyboy. Raphael's as big as any wyvern, shouldn't be too different!" Then he turned back around and continued inland.

A bear paw slapped him from behind. "Yeah, dude! Come on, I'm the best partner you could ask for!"

Ashe sighed and turned back to them all, who regarded him with a pleading excitement. Petra smiled at him--whelp, he never stood a chance against those. "Okay, why not?"

They didn't have to go very far into the ocean, finding a smooth sandbar that brought the water up to their stomachs. The breeze was starting to push out nicely from land, somehow warmer than the tepid saltwater. Small waves rocked them back and forth.

"All right, how should we do this?" Raphael cracked his knuckles. "I liked Claude's idea of carrying Ashe, but I don't know if you want it to be shirts versus skins or-"

"Why?" Leonie countered, her face scrunching in a challenge. "You think a couple girls can't wipe the floor with you both?"

"What? No!" Raphael waved his oven mitts in front of his face. "Hilda crushes me at arm-wrestling all the time. Although, I was supposed to keep that a secret."

"What is this 'shirts versus skins'-" Petra halted, her mouth forming a small "o", looking between them. Then it set in a determined line. "I am understanding now. Yes, Leonie and I will be a team."

"Fine, works for me too!" Raphael laughed. "All right, let's go Ashe! Here, climb on." He sunk into water further, his shoulders and head still forming a small island.

"Hey," Leonie turned to Petra, "let me give you a lift for this one. Two fliers, duking it out--should be fun to see who wins!"

"I am liking your thinking! Although--" she gave Ashe a look "--who will be winning is not a mystery."

It was on. Ashe could feel the indignation race up his spine as Raphael hoisted him back up into the air, holding onto his legs. There was some anxiety as well, but he attributed that to Petra being stronger than him. After countless training sessions together, he couldn't deny that. He'd have to use his wits on this one. 

Also, he wasn't _that_ weak, he could go toe-to-toe for a while. He thought he had some nice definition along his arms and chest, and could win against most common folk. Out here, though, well... _everyone_ was at least kinda stacked, seeing as how they had just been training and fighting for five years straight.

His thinking put him on the back foot as Petra was immediately in his face. Her hands sunk into his shoulders, immediately wrenching him to the side with staggering force. Every muscle in his core screamed as he fought to remain upright. She sent him a satisfied smirk.

"Come on, bud! Get your head in the game!" Raphael grunted again as another assault nearly tipped him over.

"Yeah Petra!" Hilda screamed from somewhere on the beach. "Fuck him up!"

Ashe grabbed at her wrists, prying them loose after a spell and slipping out from her grasp. He feinted to the left and she tried to dodge away, right into where he pressed forward. It was a gamble to be so aggressive, but it paid off as he shoved her further off-balance, hoping to topple them over. For a moment it seemed like they might've gone down with Petra's arms flailing about, but Leonie gritted her teeth and sunk lower into the water, fighting from the precipice to remain upright.

"Aw boo! That's no fun!" Hilda heckled him on. "You gotta rip them off! Throw them to the ground!"

Ashe stole a moment to look around, hoping to find where that pink banshee was. Right next to Dorothea, not moving an inch closer, barely propping herself up to look. It seemed like shouting was the perfect amount of effort for her.

He tried to stare daggers at her, but more interestingly was Claude, who was crouched beside Lysithea. He wore a rare, serious expression, muttering something to which she responded. His face warmed at that and he rose to his feet, offering his hand. She rolled her eyes but took it anyway. The tray had been smashed to pieces.

Ashe looked back just in time to see Petra grab for his side, the other going for his arm. He tried to weave away, but it appeared that no, Raphael wasn't quite a wyvern. His arm still slipped out of her grasp, but she managed to hook one of her own around his back, pinning his shoulder down and dragging him in close. Petra's other hand kept fighting for holds on his side, hoping to yank him down between their partners.

It had some similarities to a real battle that he didn't mind, he realized as he kept grappling with her. The rush of adrenaline, the back-and-forth struggle, the snap-second decisions to out-wit your opponent. He parried her jab away and reached inside to pry her hooked arm off. Before he could adjust, he knew it was a mistake, the opening Petra was waiting for.

She wrapped her other arm around him, locking her fingers in a tight bear-hug, and began heaving to pull him off Raphael. He was truly in a bind now, just fighting to stay upright, his muscles screaming. Petra's nose was pressed painfully into his cheek, their foreheads together, her heavy breathing running down his neck. All right, slightly less of a bind, he decided.

Petra's lips touched his jaw, light and fleeting. His holds gave out for a moment, both to Raphael and on her shoulders. Before he knew it, his world was turning in a blur of colors, then he crashed into the water.

He returned to the living with the help of Raphael, who had hauled him up by his forearm. "Hey, that was a lot of fun! You almost got them at the beginning there!"

Was that- no. Definitely not. It had to be just a coincidence. They'd sparred countless times before, where similar contact and touches were inevitable, and aside from some awkward, quick apologies it had never bothered him before. So why had it shook him to the core this time around?

Ashe chuckled despite himself, rolling the aches out of his arms and shoulders. "Well, hey, you did really well too! I doubt we would've gotten through the start if you weren't so strong."

He looked around to find Petra as excited as ever after a victory. She high-fived Leonie, the two of them now both in the water, and shot contented glares at her opponents. Well, that wasn't anything new. It had to be just a bit of awkward timing.

"Bravo, ladies!" Claude's voice rang out alongside the sound of him and Lysithea cutting closer through the water. She was clearly less at home in the ocean, shadowing him closely, peering down at the sea floor below. "Excellent match. Care to allow us into the ring?"

"Certainly." Ashe dipped his head in agreement. "I can use a break after that one."

"No, I want you to fight again," Lysithea countered, clearly bouncing off her toes to keep her head above the water. "That's the only reason I'm out here."

He was taken aback--blindsided. "Excuse me? What- why? Why fight me? Did I do something wrong?"

She shook her head and offered a sympathetic frown. "Listen, I need to get some sort of peace over what happened, even if you _were_ an unwilling participant." She shot a quick glower at Claude, who only weakly raised his hands.

Ashe looked to Petra and Raphael for support, finding none. "I mean, if it will really help, I guess so? I'm just not sure-"

"I don't want to have nightmares about you offering me sweets, okay? That would be terribly sad. Just let me work this out, please?" Her face held some level of pity in it. That'd have to do.

Raphael boomed a laugh. "I hear ya! A good spar can always work out your troubles." He lowered back down into the water. "Come on buddy, round two!"

Claude waved his hand at them. "Hang on now, don't you think the two of you have a bit of an advantage? With Raph in the mix, you'll tower over us. At least make it a fair fight." He looked over to the reigning champions. "Think one of you can even things out and give Ashe a lift?"

"I can be the one lifting this time." Petra volunteered, wading over to his side. "The last was the shirts and skins, this one can be the Alliance and... not Alliance." She gave a wide grin at her own ingenuity.

"Isn't all of Fódlan technically the Alliance now?" Leonie asked, massaging her shoulders.

"We actually still got some paperwork to get through on that front, so I'll take that match, Petra." He sunk low in the water, just his head visible, and turned to Lysithea. "Climb aboard, oh queen of sweets." 

"Fine. If I have to." Lysithea hauled herself onto his shoulders, a self-satisfied look on her face at the end.

Petra dropped as low as Claude, looking up at her partner, her eyes holding a mischievous tint. "You as well, flier who is not as... who is..." her expression soured as she fought for the right words, "flier of- oh _cach asel_ , be forgetting it."

Ashe snorted before he could think otherwise. "It was a good try." Then he came up closer and--oh boy, he was really going to do this wasn't he? He put his hands out, lightly bringing them down along the tanned skin of her shoulders. So, what, now he'd just try to swing his legs over?

"I will not be biting you," Petra mentioned over your shoulder, thankfully quiet.

"Ha, right. Sorry." Ashe gulped and then tried to hoist himself up along her back, getting one leg over, then--with a warm sensation rising along his neck--eventually got the other over as well. Before he could get situated, she grabbed his ankles and stood back up in a smooth, singular motion. The world lurched, and so he put his hands down onto her head to help steady himself, trying not to think too hard about what her hair felt like. Maybe he had wondered about it sometimes.

The two teams lined up to each other, Claude shooting Petra a smirk, Lysithea sizing Ashe up in that dangerous way he had only seen on the battlefield. She was a poor comparison to the one holding her, who had a toned set of muscles from his abs to his shoulders, but underestimating her was also a deadly mistake he'd witnessed countless times.

"All right! Let me be the judge of this!" Raphael's enthusiasm really helped bring the tension down. He waded between the pairs. "Now, in this corner, Team Alliance! In the other, Team... Not Alliance!"

Hilda booed from the shore.

"Alliance, ready!"

Claude nodded. "Just remember where you sat in the sand, flyboy."

Where he sat in the sand? The only time today he bothered to was when he was with Claude, and even then only because he asked him to--where it was helpful for him.

"Not Alliance, ready!"

Wait, was Claude asking for help?

Lysithea's shrilly roar cut through his thoughts--he really had to stop doing that--as she grabbed his shoulders and tried to jostle him around. He returned the favor, tensing his muscles, and then gave a push.

The warlock stumbled backwards dangerously, but Claude raised his grip higher to her knees, giving her more leverage to stabilize herself with. He also flashed Ashe a heartbeat-quick glare from below.

Okay, so he was. Ashe somehow had to make the least-buff person out here toss him to the surface, convincingly. Great.

With her face scrunched tight, she came back again, still grappling for his shoulders. He let her get a hold after some soft parries, and went to hold back. Then, a forceful pulse of levitation magic propeled from her fingertips, requiring him to use his entire core to stay upright. 

Maybe he didn't have to pretend after all. The next few moments were much the same--Ashe throwing in some small shoves here or there, allowing Lysithea to get inside his defense and pummel him with the most basic form of reason magic. But eventually enough was enough, and he was actually beginning to tire. Lysithea grabbed his biceps and fired again, and this time he let the force take him backwards, leaning into it. Petra yelped from below, still holding his legs and going down with him.

Dark coolness. He felt her let go and drift away. A wave pushed him along, so he stayed under for a moment longer to help sell his act.

"- can put me down, now." Lysithea's words were the first thing he could hear, water still jammed in his ears. Ashe tilted his head and bounced on his feet, trying to dislodge it.

"Yeah, go Lysithea! Get it!" 

Claude shot Hilda an exasperated look as he helped the warlock back into the water, who was still beaming. She bobbed up and down over to her competitor, just her head visible.

"Thanks for going again." She giggled. "I hope that fall didn't hurt too bad."

He righted himself, his ears repaired. "Oh, I'm fine, don't worry about me."

"Yes, do not be worrying," Petra added with a grin as she came up alongside them. "Ashe has much to be learning about the fight of chickens--the one of the sea, I mean." She turned to him, that grin widening, her voice with a hint that gave him goosebumps. "I am thinking of going for a swim. You should be coming along--I can be... teaching you more, if you would like to."

A funny anxiety welled in his gut, spilling out words he hadn't the time to think through, "Oh, uh, I think I'm fine. Pretty tired, you know?"

Petra blinked, some unknown emotions working out behind the smile that persisted, if dampened. "Ah. I am understanding. Enjoy your rest, then!" In a quick, hurried motion, she turned around and started swimming further out.

The nerves in his gut hardened into a rock. He had a creeping suspicion that what he said was the _wrong_ answer.

Lysithea squinted at him. "Ashe, are you just..." She opened her mouth like she wanted to say more, then shut it, and waved her hands in front of her. "Never mind. This _really_ isn't my area of expertise anyway."

"No, what is it?" The words leapt out of his mouth, with a desperation he wasn't prepared for.

Lysithea sighed and looked around. "Fine, only because you did what I asked earlier. How do I put this..." She gave him a long, funny look. "I think you're being dense."

"I- er, what?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, definitely. Now, I think this makes us even, so please don't make me explain more of it to you. I'm really not comfortable with this mushy stuff." She turned around and starting bouncing away.

"Hold on, wait!" Ashe followed her with a start. "What's going on? Please, I don't know what to do!"

Lysithea slumped further into the water, groaning, and turned back to him. "Again, this isn't really something-"

"What's going on?"

They both turned to see Claude approach with Raphael trailing. Leonie was wading back to shore. 

"Yeah, is something wrong? Leonie's gonna go check if the food is ready, and I'm sure that'll help!" Raphael grinned. 

"Oh- well, see..." Ashe was fumbling for words now, put in the spotlight.

"Petra asked Ashe if they wanted to go for a private swim together," Lysithea filled in. She averted her eyes. "He said no, like an idiot."

"Dude..." Raphael's sympathy was immediate. He rubbed the back of his neck and sucked in a breath between his teeth.

Even Claude frowned, if only for a moment. "Ouch." He studied Ashe, then a coy look came across his face. "So, you _do_ know she's had a thing for you for awhile now, right?"

Hah, good one Claude. Nope. That couldn't be right. "I... what?"

The three of them exchanged long glances. Lysithea threw her hands up. "Yes, it's been obvious for a while now. Goddess, you _are_ dense."

Claude chuckled and waved her away, much to her chagrin. "Hey, don't kick him when he's down." His expression settled into something warmer. "It's easy to fix this, okay? I promise. Just go after her, tell her you were dumb and that you're sorry."

"Yeah! I'm sure she'd still love to have you around," Raphael added.

This was all moving way too fast. Even chest-deep in the water, his legs wanted to give out. He needed to sit down. "Hold on. I'm still... Are you saying Petra, well, you know-"

"Yes." Lysithea tried to scowl but it came out as a goofy half-smirk, the laughter in her eyes betraying her. "She only [i]ever went to the library with you, and even then she was too busy fawning over you to read anything."

"If you were there, she'd always sit with you in the dining hall," Raphael explained. "Got up in the middle of lunch with me a couple times, actually."

"She has it bad, especially since we all reunited." Even Claude couldn't help some incredulity slip into his voice. "Trained with you all the time, agreed with you the loudest during meetings--she constantly flew as your partner, despite Hilda and I being not too shabby either. I was kinda hurt about that one, honestly."

"Oh." The voice was small, acting on reflex alone. He had started to consider the possibility they offered and it was really making his head spin. "So, um, are you sure she doesn't hate me now? I... I feel kinda dumb."

"What? No way, Petra is super nice! Just go talk to her, I'm sure it'll be fine." Raphael clamped a massive paw on his shoulder.

"She asked you to go _all the way back to Brigid with her_." Lysithea shook her head in disbelief. "Come on, Ashe, think. She'll still be happy to see you."

He took a deep breath. "Okay, if you say so."

Claude nodded. "Even now, we're all still Golden Deer; we look after each other. We'd never be saying this if we weren't sure. " He put his arms around both Raphael and Lysithea, the latter stiffening for a heartbeat before settling with small blush. "We'll cover for you, make sure nobody nosy gets in the way."

A swell of pride rose above the consuming swarm of emotions. After being without his parents at an early age, years spent on the streets, alongside his realizations around Lord Lonato, and of course the war they'd just gotten through, his loyalty and trust had been rocked many times in his life. Finally, here on the shores of Derdriu, he found he could fully give it to them. He was starting to feel at home with his found family, even if he'd end up a continent away.

Raphael gave him a big, sunny grin. Lysithea managed a sweet, sincere smile and nodded. Claude shot him a wink. "Enjoy your afternoon, will ya?" Then he turned them all around and led them back to shore.

Ashe watched them go for a moment, then looked back, finding a figure swimming out further into the blue, towards where one side of the cove ended in a point. It was beginning to dawn on him--he was going to do this, wasn't he? Not that he really had a choice, now.

\--

It took five minutes of hard swimming to even get closer to her. Unsurprisingly, she was excellent in the water and had no problem cutting through the waves, much better than he could manage. She had time to get out along the shore and sit down for a spell before her silhouette started to grow larger.

Her eyes were just as sharp. By the time he could begin to feel the sandy floor under his feet again, still a ways from dry land, she was looking right at him. She rose and stayed still for a moment, then slowly made her way back into the water.

His heart was rising in his throat as they drew closer. He tried casting his gaze elsewhere, but it kept gravitating back to her.

"Ashe?" she called out. Her movements were stilted, unsure. "I was thinking you were tired. This was... not an easy route to swim."

She was right. His shoulders and legs were seriously starting to ache, his strokes losing their smoothness awhile back. "I- well... I was dumb!"

Petra gave him a funny look, but nevertheless pushed fully into the water and effortlessly swam into the sea. She dipped under the waves and he lost sight of her, left with just the back-and-forth roar of the ocean and some chattering seagulls. He slowed his pace, looking around for her to no avail. A full minute passed as he pressed on, a kernel of worry beginning to grow.

A shadow rose in the water before him, Petra coming out of the blue. She took in a deep breath of air, not bothering to fix the wet strands of hair that fell down her face, droplets of water gleaming like gems as they ran down her skin. He halted, electing to stand with the surface rising to his chest. Only a foot or two remained between them now.

She offered a nervy smile, crossing her arms under the water. "Sometimes you are, yes." Her gaze held on his, expectant with a glimmer of hope, waiting for a reply.

"I'm sorry." He took one small step forward. "I've... I've been dumb for a while now, haven't I?" Another.

Her eyes widened, her face flushing, and she made no attempt to hide it or look away. "I am thinking so." He could see her fingers curling tighter into her arms. She bit her lip, the breaths through her nose growing. Or were those his?

He tried to find more words as he inched closer. There was so much he wanted to say as his body went into a full revolt, his stomach and heart spinning like a pinwheel in the wind. None came, nothing to soften this agonizingly slow march forward. His mouth hung open, oxygen harder and harder to find.

Inches, now. Petra took up all that he could see, bobbing slightly in the waves. She stared back, locking eyes, the edges of her lips turned upward. Gently, she undid her arms and put her hands on his hips. The air caught in both of their lungs.

A completing, overwhelming rush of joy caught up in his chest. Summoning all the courage he could muster, he leaned in, closing his eyes.

Petra let out a shocked, happy little exhale.

He felt her lips on his. Her arms wrapped around his back, pulling him in close. The kiss was more tender than he'd ever imagined, slow and warm, the two of them relishing in the sensation and the contact. He could feel the deep, contented breaths from her nose. Her hands shifted, one running up and down his back, another touching his cheek.

Right, his hands. The still-functioning voice in the back of his head was hard to hear. So, well, could he...? His fingers skimmed along her arms and down her sides, unsure what was too much, vaguely afraid he might break the spell. He had dreamed about this moment for too long.

He felt Petra's face scrunch up as a light giggle interrupted them, their lips parting. She kept her eyes closed and forehead pressed against his, guiding one hand with her own to her hip, pulling the other to her jaw. Then she pressed flush against him, kissing him harder, her tongue dancing with his own. 

It was all too much, in the most perfect way. He ran his palm and fingers along the outline of her jaw, tracing over her cheek with his thumb, brushing through the hair he tried to forget earlier. His other hand moved along the small of her back, making large, soft circles under the water. He leaned back into her, the realization finally settling in, filling the void.

They came apart slowly, some minutes later. Petra drew a trembling hand along his cheek, winding down to interspersed pecks on lips and noses. "I have been wanting--" another kiss just above his lip "--this for a long time. It... gives me joy." She got one in return on the tip of her nose. "So much, Ashe."

He pulled his head away, just barely, not wanting to lose any touches of skin that he didn't have to. The warm sea water wrapped around them like a soft, downy blanket. He opened his eyes to find her staring right back, her expression radiating the same fondness and bliss he was feeling.

"Me too. I'm... sorry I took so long." His words felt small next to hers.

The corners of her eyes welled as her smile only grew. "Do not be giving apologies. I am being- I am too happy right now for those."

He nodded. Anything he could say felt inadequate-- a thought floated into his head--anything in Fódlanese, he supposed.

" _An féidinn a bheithe aich spochadh as an spéi ó chúdna tonnsa?_ " The words felt harsh and uneven as he recited--despite how many times he'd practiced it, saying it aloud still made his heart flutter.

He heard Petra gasp, stiffening up against him. Tears were falling down both their cheeks now. Just as he thought he'd made a mistake, she nodded.

"Yes, Ashe. We can always be gazing up at the sky from behind the waves."


End file.
